Devious Illusions
by anna becker
Summary: Avery Quinn was a shy, quiet individual who was boring at best with no real family or friends. Loki was the prince of Asgard and as mischievous as they come. But what happens when he turns himself into a cat but cannot turn back? What happens when these two met? A Loki/OC AU one shot.


15

**A/N So this came from….somewhere lol but was a lot of fun to write. **

**Devious Illusion**

There was nothing remotely special about Avery Quinn, at least that's what she told herself. At five foot two, on a good day, with fiery red hair she was a quiet little thing. More apt to stay to herself rather than venture out among the people. She was shy with slate grey eyes but had a quick tongue and temper when the occasion called for it. She had a love for animals and plants, preferring their company much more than actual people. So when the sleek black blue eyed cat showed up on her door step she didn't think twice.

She had just gotten home from her job at the local bookstore, her arms full of groceries when she was nearly tripped up by the tiny little creature.

"Well hello there." She said as the cat seemed to look at her in annoyance. "Where did you come from?" She asked as she struggled to open the door with her key. She didn't think much more of it as she brought her bags to her kitchen, disposing them into the island. She spent the next few minutes putting things away and eventually wandering into her living room plopping unceremoniously onto her couch. With her remote in hand she mindlessly turned on the TV and started shuffling through the channels when she got the feeling that she was being watched. She turned her head to the left and let out a gasp as she jumped to her feet.

"How did you get in here?" She asked not really expecting an answer but was slightly surprised when the creature let out a yowl. Sitting in her chair was the same black cat from before. It sat there watching her and did the slow blink that cats do. She stared back trying to figure out how it has gotten into her house. It sat in her chair as if it was its own personal throne and she could swear it was smirking at her. She sighed and shook her head as she picked it up.

"As much as I like cats, you just can't be here." She opened the door and gently put it back outside. The cat seemed to yowl in protest as she shut the door. She instantly felt a bit of guilt about it but pushed the thought aside. She made her way back to her couch and went to sit again only to be met with the same set of eyes as before. There it was in the exact same place that she had just removed it from not more than a minute before.

"Now how did you get back in here? I literally just put you out." The cat meowed in response. "You really can't stay here." In truth and if she was being completely honest there really was no real reason not to keep the small creature. She just had issues with attachments. She became attached too quickly and it usually ended badly, for her. She sighed once again as she picked it up. The cat began to purr and rub its head on her chin. "Awe, you don't fight fair." Yet she still resisted, hard as it was. She stroked its fur and placed the creature back out on the front porch. She could have sworn she got a glare as she once again closed the door. She had decided to put it out of her mind and to move on with her life. Hoping that would be the end of it. She was wrong, so very wrong.

Later that night as she was in the shower, her thoughts turned back to that little black cat that was still currently curled up on her welcome mat in front of her door. She knew because she had made sure to check on it more than once. It was probably just hungry, or lost. She felt her reserve waver and vowed to check on it one more time before bed. If it had moved on she would leave it alone, if not, well she would at least feed the creature. She couldn't live with herself if she didn't do something. She finished her shower, dressed and walked into her bedroom only to stop short at what she saw in front of her.

"How?" She asked the cat that now lay on her pillow all curled up. It looked up at her with its wide sleepy eyes blinking a few times. "How do you keep getting in here?" She asked again. It didn't escape her notice that she was speaking to a cat that wouldn't or couldn't talk back to her. She sighed and sat in the middle of the bed. The cat regarded her for a moment before getting up, stretching and wandering over to her. She looked down at it as it started to rub on her hand. This lead to her placing her hand on the creatures head and the cat purred in response. Next thing she knew the cat was in her lap. _Damn. _She thought to herself as she sighed again and finally relenting. "Fine, one night because frankly I'm too tired to go another round. But in the morning we need to have a talk." The cat meowed and placed its paws on her chest pushing its head under her chin again before returning back to her pillow. In a matter of seconds the cat was fast asleep once again. She let out a chuckle. "Well you are a mischievous one aren't you?" She said as she settled herself under her blankets. "Don't get too comfortable." She turned her back and missed the almost smile the cat held. The next morning after some of the best sleep she had had in a long time the cat was still there. Instead of being on her pillow the small ball of fur had managed to tuck itself up under her hair at the nape of her neck. She knew it would take a lot for the cat to allow itself to separate from her. Apparently she had required a new pet.

"Missing?! What do you mean he's missing?"

"Missing, as in not here."

"How did this even happen?" Thor the current king of Asgard regarded the human wizard in front of him, arms crossed. "You said that if I brought him here you could keep him from causing trouble."

"I told you to bring him here because we had no other place to keep him. After he tried to take over our world we very well couldn't let him roam free now could we?"

"And how well has that worked for you? My brother does not do well with ultimatums and you keeping him trapped here was anything but a good plan."

"You agreed that if we let him back on earth he would be where we could keep a close eye on him."

"And how is that going for you, wizard?! My brother is now missing and you have no idea where he may be!" His voice echoed through the sanctum. Dr. Strange took in the very angry Asgardian with a mix of concern and amusement.

"Your brother is a slippery one I will give him that but we will find him."

"What happened exactly?"

"He decided to try and find his way around my spell to keep him here and in the process turned himself into an equally annoying four legged creature."

"I am going to venture a guess that he turned himself into a black cat, yes?"

"As a matter of fact…" Strange paused for a moment. "The issue however isn't that he turned into a cat and escaped. The issue is I counter acted the spell so that he will stay a cat." Thor let out a very loud **WHAT**?! "Rest assured it's only temporarily."

"How temporary?"

"I don't know. "

"You don't know?"

"I underestimated you brother something I don't intend on doing again."

"Most people do. But if he is to turn back while out in this world I'm not sure what he will do."

"I thought you said he could be trusted now. That he was _on the right path_ as you put it." Strange asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The God of Thunder wheeled in him with a counter argument.

"I thought you were going to be able to keep him here." Strange held his hands up in surrender.

"All right so it seems mistakes were made in both sides and now we need to fix it. Any suggestions?"

"Me? You are the one who lost him, are you not? Besides if Loki does not wish to be found he will not be found."

"Well we can't leave things as they are now can we?" The doctor added with sarcasm.

"Then what do _you_ suggest?" This asked growing tired of this conversation.

"A locator spell to begin with, but it will take some time."

"How much time?" He was growing inpatient.

"As long as it takes." Thor growled at that and stood walking toward the door. "And where are you going?"

"To find my brother." He shouted over his shoulder. Dr. Strange placed his finger too in the bridge of his nose tempting to rub away the tension that had begun to gather there.

"You are not going to find him. Not out there." Thor turned around.

"Why? I tire of this game. "

"Your brother has turned himself into a cat and has since gotten outside. We don't know where he could even be. Do you have any idea how many black cats are on this world not to mention this city?"

"What else do you suggest wizard?!" He turned to walk away once again.

"What do you suggest we do? Check every stray out there. You will never find him. He may not even be in the city." Thor turned to look at him once again.

"Explain"

"He may have found his way through a portal so in reality..."

"He could be anywhere." Thor finished for him. "Then you need to find him." Strange nodded his head in agreement.

"Just one thing."

"What?" He was losing his patients.

"We can't tell Stark." The God of Thunder nodded in agreement.

"The metal man need not know."

Loki was many things. He was mischievous, a skilled liar, a prince of Asgard, a would be king and as of recent a small black cat. This, as strange as it was, really wasn't that uncommon for him. He had the ability to change when need be and found this form rather appealing. Cats were regal creatures, curious almost to a fault but smart, cunning. Most humans regarded cats much more than their human counterpart. Something he had always found amusing even if a bit confusing. He found that as a cat he could go more places and get much more information than by being a prince of Asgard. The problem this time however wasn't that he was a cat, no he had done that on his own. The problem was that the human wizard had thought him better than he and cast a spell keeping him in his cat form. This would just not do. Next thing he knew a portal had swallowed him up and literally dropped him into parts unknown. For a few days he had wandered the street looking for shelter, cursing this mortal world and everyone in it. Then he saw her. She walked quickly down the street not making eye contact with anyone until she entered a book store. Something about her caught his attention. She wasn't a shocking beauty but had a more humble appearance. He found her appealing, pretty, the perfect target. He waited outside until she left for the day and he followed her home, gaging her living situation. She seemed to be alone, with very few neighbors in his eyes the perfect hide away. Now he just needed to arrange it. And arrange it he did.

For the next few days he followed her to and from work, memorized her schedule and found that she was very routine, coming and going at the same time. There were a few times that her times changed but that was only for short errands and it was during one of these that he put his plan into action. He ran on ahead to place himself in the most optimal place and waited. Sure it had taken some convincing but he knew eventually she would bend to his will and she had. So easily manipulated these mortals where. Yet the longer he spent with her the more he wondered who was manipulating who more.

Almost two weeks had gone by since he was trapped in this form. Two weeks since he had slipped away from his brother and that dreadfully want to be wizard. Two weeks since he had found his human and living up the life. He had shelter, food and a quiet place to hide. He had grown accustom to his little mortal human. She was kind, gentle, and she smelled of lavender and sunshine. He had settled in quite nicely. Currently he stood waiting by the door for her to come through and yet she hadn't, she was late. She was never this late. He could sense something was off as he waited and waited and waited. He didn't like it, not even a little. One, he didn't like to be made to wait. Two, up until this point she had been very routine and three, now this was the most surprising, he missed her. But only a little he told himself. That was only because he had come to rely on her to meet his every need, yet he worried as he still stood there an hour later. This was a foreign concept to him. He didn't need people, especially a tiny little mortal woman. Still he missed her voice, her unique smell, her quiet nature. He didn't understand it, he didn't like it. Maybe I was due to him being stuck in his cat form and it was starting to affect him. He wasn't sure but he had to find a way out of this. He was so deep in his thought process that it didn't truly register that she was opening the door until he saw her standing there. Something was different, something was wrong. It all felt wrong. She had been crying, tears still evident on her face. She slammed the door shut, dropped her bag and seemed to melt to the floor with a sob. He didn't like it. He could feel her sadness, something he knew very well. Internally he sighed and did the only thing a cat could do. He walked over to her, meowed and proceeded to wash her tears away.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't right and frankly she was so tired of trying. Earlier in the day Avery had gotten a call from her brother Liam, her brother whom she hadn't heard from or seen in three years, her only living relative. Their relationship had never been easy and a few years before they had had a falling out. To say it had been bad would be an understatement. They hadn't spoken since, until today. When she had seen the unknown number pop up on her phone her first response was to ignore it but something had told her to answer it. She wished now that she had listened to that inner voice to not pick up. At first her brother had sounded hesitant, needy and really wanting to work things out with her. She had agreed to meet him and in the beginning the conversation had been good, catching up on each other's life. Her nervousness and anxiety had begun to dissipate that was until he finally coughed up the real reason for the visit. Money, the root of all evil. He thought she had it and wouldn't give it to him. She didn't and in truth if she did have it she would never give it to him. She had done it before and it had come back to bite her. With her refusal came a lot of the same old arguments and once again things were said. Instead of staying and giving it back to him which always seemed the case she did something she had never done before. She walked away. She left her brother shouting after her, calling her every vile name he could think of. She held her tears at bay until she reached the safety of her own home. It was there that she dissolved into tears. The anguish and hurt she felt bubbling to the surface. How could she love someone and hate them at the same time. He was older by two years but she had always been the one looking out for him. When she was barely eighteen their parents had been killed in a hit and run accident leaving only the two of them. It wasn't long after that that things went south and they went down quick. She had been alone since then. For the most part she had been fine but on those few lonely nights she was just that, lonely. But she wasn't alone anymore. The small black cat with the striking blue eyes had found her when she needed it most. As she sat there on the floor, tears running down her face she was alerted to its presents as it started to lick the tears from her face and rub its head under her chin. She finally got her tears under control and pulled the cat to her petting its head. She sighed and relished the cat's soft fur against her cheek letting the purring calm her down.

"Thank you." She whispered doubting it understood anything she said, at least that's what she thought. The cat looked at her just then, meowed and placed a front paw on her face causing her to smile slightly dissolving a bit of her sadness. She looked up at the cat once more. "You need a name. I can't keep calling you cat or it. I'm not even sure rather you're a boy or a girl. Maybe I should call you princess." This earned her a slight growl which caused her to smile slightly. "Okay then Prince it is. My little Prince." This earned her a little rub as he continued to purr. "Well Prince let me tell you something." She lifted the cat up so that she was looking at him directly in the face. "Never ever let anyone define who you are. Never ever let anybody in and never ever rely on anyone else for anything. They will all break your heart in the end." She hugged the cat to her chest once again. "Now let's say we order some take out and wallow in self-pity the rest of the weekend." The cat meowed in what she assumed was agreement.

Three weeks had past and there was still no sign of his brother anywhere. Any locator spell Dr. Strange had tried hadn't worked and frankly Thor was beyond worried. Usually at this point Loki would manage to sulk back from whatever adventure he had been on. The Asgardian king had taken to the streets himself and scoping out any and all cats he found. And found them he did. In back alley ways, doorways, shelters and yes even garbage cans. He had been hissed at, growled at, spit at and scratched. During all of this he had come to an alarming and overwhelming conclusion. Cats on earth were mean foul creatures. Mean, territorial, disagreeable and downright rude, much like his brother. It wasn't a wonder he got along with them so well and preferred being in this form and yet he still missed his ill-tempered brother. The two of them had been through so much and Loki had overcome so much which was why it was bothersome to him. Which was why he was currently two towns over in yet another back ally trying to have yet another conversation with a nasty little critter who was hissing and spitting something fierce.

"Now brother if that's you then you really need to come home now. Whatever has happened we will sort it out." He took a soft step forward; the cat arched its back, fur stuck up on end. "Now come on brother, enough with these games. It's time to end this." A long drawn out yowl was his answer. "Brother…."

"Can I help you with something?" A quiet voice said behind him. He paused in what he was doing and turned to find a rather tiny red haired human standing watching him with open curiosity. He must have been quiet a little too long because she spoke again. "Are you looking for someone?" He recovered as quickly as he could for fear that she may think him odd for speaking to a cat in such a manner.

"Uh…n…no. Just looking for my brother. My cat, my brother's cat. He seemed to have gotten out."

"Oh." She said lightly. She seemed nervous, anxious almost. "Well, what does he look like maybe I've seen him around? The cat, not your brother." A light blush dusted her cheeks. This little mortal was quit charming even though she wasn't really his type she was nice enough. He gave her a big smile which usually worked for him and stepped forward but she suddenly frowned slightly and took a step back. He stopped and pulled a frustrated hand through his hair. He laughed nervously.

"Truth is I don't really know what he looks like at the moment. I just need to really find him. My, ah brother, he really really misses this cat." She had a slight look of suspicion in her eyes but just nodded at his apparent lie. His brother was the god of lies, not him.

"Well I keep an eye open for you. My name is Avery, I work at the library around the corner so if you need anything that's where I'll be." Without giving much of a chance he suddenly turned and rounded the corner. It wasn't until she was out of sight that he realized he had never given her his name. He shrugged his shoulders slightly at the odd little human girl and went back to trying to find his wayward brother. He should move on before he drew much more attention to himself. A man calling every stray cat his brother was bound to catch some very unwanted attention. But something kept him there. He had a feeling that Loki was close by. He couldn't explain it but he knew he may be seeing his brother very soon. He just needed to bid his time until then.

People were strange. She knew she was strange but the man on the street she had meant earlier was by far the strangest sight she had seen. At first she had though him a beggar, a crazy beggar at that. She didn't buy his story that he was looking for his brother's cat but she was still mildly curious. It wasn't every day you saw a man talking to a bunch of stray alley cats as if they were his brother. In retrospect it was both slightly amusing if a bite terrifying. Whichever the case at this point she had put it out of her mind as she focused on the rest of her day. It was Friday after all and compared to her last Friday this one was shaping up to be a much better one. After a weekend of keeping her phone off and wallowing in self-pity she hadn't heard or seen her brother. She had hoped that this would be the end of it at least for now and had plans on having a little fun this weekend. It was early spring and supposed to be nice out so she had plans to visit the outdoor market. She loved things like that and felt that she really needed it.

It was closing time so she finished up and locked the doors. It was a small bookstore suitable for a small town with only 2 workers. Herself and a girl named Laura for the weekend. Laura was a sweet girl of twenty something working her way through college and very reliable. It was a nice reprieve for Avery to have someone else to rely on once in a while. She had a tendency to over work herself at times and it was about to get even busier due to the fact that she was currently in the middle of trying to buy the store from the owners. The current owners were an elderly married couple who had no children and where looking to pass on the business. She was more than happy to take up this particular challenge. It had always been a big dream of hers.

As she walked down the street she took in the shops along the way. She felt at peace here. It was a small town right on the outskirts of the big city. It was close enough that it was a prosperous town with those from the city coming to check out what a small town could offer. Antique stores novelty stores and a variety of eateries gave an illusion of something different than what was in the city. In reality there wasn't much different just the location, it was peaceful. That's why she liked it.

When she got home her new furry friend was waiting for her in his usual spot. It was nice to know that someone was there to greet her, even if it was a cat. She never knew how much she needed this until he had shown up a month ago. She bent down scooping him up and holding him close. She found the purring relaxing and it brought an instant smile to her face.

"Did my prince miss me?" This earned her a meow and a rub. She was quickly getting attached to the small creature even though there was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that something still wasn't quite right, quite settled. "Well let me tell you about my day…" It wasn't lost on her that she was talking to a cat much like the very strange man she had met just that morning.

It also wasn't lost on Loki that he was becoming very attached to his human as much as she was to him. He needed to get out of this form before he got in to deep. He couldn't afford attachments, it would only be worse in the end. However, he was beginning to actually like her and liking people was not something he did well. He knew it was only because he was a cat but for the first time in recent memory he actually felt like he had a friend. An honest friend who didn't hide their true intentions from him, in fact she was overly honest. If it was anyone else, if he was in his Asgardian form this would probably annoy him to know end but there was something about her, something endearing. Maybe just maybe he could endure being a cat a bit longer.

"…it really was the strangest thing. He was talking to it like it was his brother. I mean I know I talk to you but it's not like I expect you to answer. This man was talking to it like he really believed it was his brother. Poor guy, it's just sad." She sighed as he started her nightly routine. "I think tomorrow we need a day out, don't you?" She asked as she scratched behind the cat's ears.

Loki was too distracted by what he had just heard her say in her endless prattle to really enjoy the ear scratch or rather the rest of the night. He knew without too much detail that the man she was talking about was his idiot of a brother. He would not ruin this for him. He would not allow him to take him away from his human. Morning came way too soon and he still hadn't formulated a good plan. Well a plan that didn't involve him staying a cat. He still believed this was his best option.

She normally would never even consider taking Prince along with her for any reason but something told her it would be a good idea. She had found a back pack that he could comfortably sit in, even though he looked at it with distain and discovered something she hadn't been willing to face. She had officially become _that_ crazy cat lady who wouldn't leave the house without her cat. She could have sworn he had actually rolled his eyes at her. It was unnerving sometimes that the small create seemed to have human like traits. She shook her head as she scolded herself and put him in it anyway. He complained for a moment but she quickly shushed him as she left the house.

"Oh stop. It will be good for us both. We can't spend another weekend cooped up. Besides it will be fun." Yeah fun, but for whom.

She decided to take her car due to the amount she usually bought at these things. The open air market was only a few streets away from her and the weather was nice. Still she felt slightly anxious as if something was coming. She just didn't know what. So she decided to once again over look her sense of impending doom and enjoy her day, which she did up until about mid-morning. That was when everything seemed to go to hell. She had her arms literally loaded down with various fruits and vegetables along with other items and was heading back to the car. She had just loaded everything into the trunk of her car and had turned around almost bumping into the person who was standing usually close to her. She took an involuntary step back bumping into the back of her car causing the cat to yowl in protest. She looked up into the threatening face of her brother.

"Liam! What do you want now?" He looked down at her and then behind her.

"Nice car. That must have been rather expensive and yet you can't help out your only brother." He added as he stepped closer trying to intimidate her trapping her with his stare.

"Liam I'm not giving you any money."

"Oh you made that clear." He suddenly grabbed her arm. "But I still need it." A trickle of fear ran through her.

"Liam, let go your hurting me." She told him trying to keep the fear from her voice. She and her brother had always been at odds but he had never hurt her before. He was desperate, dangerously so. She tried to pull her arm away but he only held it even tighter.

"Maybe you need to be reminded what it means to be family." He hissed at her.

"Maybe you're the one who needs to be reminded." She hissed back. She knew it was a mistake the minute it flew from her mouth but she would be damned if she was going to let anyone treat her this way, family or not. She pulled away once more which seemed to anger him even more but before anything else could be said a deep threatening growl sounded behind her. Before she could react an angry ball of black fur flew past her at Liam's face. Her brothers scream of agony as claws and teeth latched on to him caused him to let her go. He fell back and tried to pull the cat from his face with not much luck. After a few seconds he was able to get free and went to throw the cat aside, unfortunately for him the cat lived up to the rumor that all cats land on their feet. He then lunged at her brother's feet and ankles. Growling and hissing the whole time. Back arched and fur on end. Avery was so shocked as her brother twisted and turned to get away from her sudden little hell cat that she couldn't move.

"What the hell is that?" Her brother shouted as he was finally able to get away. Her cat stood at her feet growling and hissing for all his might. She recovered enough to react. Reaching down she picked up the cat holding him close to her. He seemed to immediately calm down to his mistresses touch.

"Just go away Liam, please. I'm not giving you any money and if that's all you want then go away." She added sadly as she took one last look at her brother who stood staring at her with his scratched and bloody face. Her little hero had done a number on him. She turned back around and got in her car driving away. She didn't look back.

She didn't look back but someone else was watching her, watching her with great interest. He had been already to step in and help the girl. That was until a tiny little black cat quickly turned on her attacker sending him off. He knew then that he had finally found his brother. It struck him as odd though that he would defend a human in such a way. Maybe it was because he was still a cat or maybe just maybe he was becoming more excepting. Whatever the case Thor was intrigued. This little human had something that connected his brother to her. What it was he wasn't sure but he needed to find out and that would include getting to his brother. It was time for Loki to come home.

Once she was in her car and on her way home did she start to realize what had just happened. She looked over at the cat that sat in her front seat who was blinking his eyes and seeming very pleased with himself. She opened and closed her mouth a few times unsure what to say. She was still a bit shocked by the whole thing. He had actually protected her, attacking her brother rather viciously. No person or creature had ever come to her defense like that before. She wasn't sure what to make of it.

She pulled up to her house and cut the engine but still sat there. The cat turned to watch her curiously as to why she didn't move.

"What was _that_ back there?" She asked not really expecting an answer. The cat seemed to pause slightly as if he was afraid of what she might say next. She sighed as she reached over and gave him a scratch behind the ear. "Well thank you for that I think. No one has ever stood up for me in anyway." She turned to look back out the window. "You know I must be the most pathetic person on the planet. My best friend is a cat." Her critter meowed it what would almost sound like protest. "If only you were a real person and not a cat. I think that we would be great friends." She smiled as she looked down at her precious cargo. She found the cat looking up at her. She almost wished she could read his mind. It was almost like he was trying to tell her something. Her smiled turned to a sad look. "Well I think I just need to get used to the idea of people being a disappointment." With that being said she careful got out of the car and slowly unpacked her car, her faithful companion following behind her.

He wasn't sure what had gotten into him, he wasn't sure why he had attacked the human male but he certainly didn't take very kindly to someone hurting his human. When he attacked it was more of a reaction than a well thought out encounter. He wasn't sure why but he didn't like the man or how he handled her. Then he heard her sad voice and her sad declaration. That was when he too realized something, that he Loki of Asgard really just wanted a friend too. He missed having someone, anyone to talk to. Someone who accepted him for who he was and someone who didn't judge him on his past misdeeds. The only other person that he had ever felt this way about had been his mother and she was now gone. Sadness fell around him as the two of them settled into their usual nightly routine. He could feel her sadness about her brother and he had his own. It was here that he too began to wish that he was a person again, if nothing more than to say how much he appreciated her company. Maybe he was getting soft or maybe she was responsible for slowly breaking down those walls he had so carefully constructed around him. He was always one that hurt others first before they could hurt him, but now he found he was tired of that game. He too wanted a friend, a really friend. He just hoped that he could keep his new friend because he knew all of their carefully constructed routine and companionship was about to change. He could feel it coming and he wasn't nearly as ready as he would like to be. What would she do once she figured out who he really was? He just hoped she could accept it.

Their night went about like it always had. She fretted slightly about her brother not having much of an appetite and knowing she would get very little sleep. She currently sat on her couch trying to read her book, her mind elsewhere with her little companion curled up on her lap. She must have re-read the same sentence half a dozen times when she decided she should give up and at least try to go to sleep. When she shifted the cat opened one eye and looked at her almost in annoyance.

"Well I am sorry your majesty but I'm thinking it's time for bed. It's been a long day and I for one am ready for it to be over." She gave him a gentle pet which he responded to by arching his back and purring, rather loudly. She chuckled slightly repeating the action and getting the same response. "You like that don't you?" She asked talking softly too him. It helped calm her down as strange as it seemed. She had just decided to pick him up to take him upstairs when suddenly a small noise sounded at the door. She felt her cat tense up, ears shot forward and a low growl sounded in his throat. She was suddenly on alert when suddenly the cat shot off her lap and made his way into her kitchen. She figured it was safe to assume that whatever it was wasn't a threat. Then she heard a knock. This had her concerned because of how late it was and because no one ever visited her. She slowly barely opened the door and to her surprise the man from before, the man who she had seen talking to the cat in the alley way. He smiled and gave her a little wave.

"Hello." He said in a voice that seemed way too cheerful.

"Um, hi. Can I help you?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yes, well we meant before."

"Yes I remember, you were looking for your brother's cat." He actually looked a little embarrassed at that and looked down rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes well about that…I know it sounds crazy but I really need to talk with you about something."

"Okay." She said still not sure on where this was heading and a little concerned that he knew where to find her.

"Well you see, my name is Thor. I am the king of Asgard and I believe that your cat is actually my brother Loki."

She knew it, he was crazy. Why did she attract crazy? She went to close her door when he stopped her.

"Wait, please. I'm not crazy." He sounded so desperate she stopped for a moment. "Look, I'm an Avenger, well I use to be and I just really need your help. Please." She regarded him for a moment. Then it seemed to click.

"You're that Thor?" She asked and he suddenly got excited.

"Yes! Yes! I'm that Thor. Please let me in and I'll explain everything I promise. Please my good lady." She looked at him again and knew she should have listened to her inner voice but opened the door wider. She would grow to regret that decision.

"Fine, but make it quick and believable."

"Thank you my fair la…" She held her hand up to stop him.

"Okay, that's enough of that just get to the point. What makes you believe that my cat is your brother and if he is why is he a cat? I mean who wants to purposely be a cat?" So Thor explained it all to her. How he had brought Loki to earth, how he was under the watchful eye of Doctor Strange and most importantly how he had gotten away and why he wasn't "himself". She wasn't sure rather to laugh or to cry. It was so unbelievable that it was believable. She plopped down on her couch unsure on what to do next.

"I'm sorry Lady Avery but I really do need to see my brother. Maybe convince him to come home." She held up her hand to stop him.

"First stop calling me Lady. I'm hardly a lady and second why should I believe you?" She took a second to collect her thoughts. She suddenly had a thought and jumped up running to the kitchen. Looking around she started to panic when she couldn't find her cat. If the crazy man in the next room had chased her beloved critter away then he was going to hear about it. She felt her tears start to fill with tears out of frustration and she turned to go back into the living room. She had had it with people. She had every intention of telling the tall Norse king to leave but she stopped short when she came into the room. Thor and the cat were nose to nose. The cat sat on her coffee table hissing and spitting, his back arched. Thor was on his hands and knees talking to or at least trying to.

"Brother, please listen to reason. You need to come home so that we can figure this out." After a few more minutes of this back and forth she had had enough. She picked up the cat and set him down behind her before she pulled Thor back up to his feet.

"All right that's enough. You have managed to upset me and my cat enough so now you can leave."

"But…" He started as she started to shove him toward the door.

"Out!" She directed in a strong voice and please don't come back. I am sorry for your brother but I am done with this nonsense. "This has gone on…" She never finished because Thor's attention was suddenly pulled from her to behind her and she suddenly had an ill sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Brother!" He shouted with a big smile suddenly on his face. She didn't want to turn around; she didn't want to face it. She stayed facing the door eyes closed and cast to the floor as Thor walked around her. "I knew I would find you."

"Why must you ruin everything?" A slightly accented voice said behind her which was filled with a bit of venom.

"Ruin? I came to find you and to bring me home."

"Well maybe I don't want to go home. And where would home be anyway? I'm a prisoner on this planet."

"Loki you know the terms to you being here. We must get them to trust you."

"All right that's enough!" Avery shouted as she suddenly spun around, she was angry at herself for believing in anything. She felt like she had been lied too, granted if the story was true it really wasn't his fault, still she felt like such a fool and when she thought about it everything started to make a little sense in a crazy sort of way. She felt herself start to panic again, the air was getting tight and her breath was coming out in gasps. Great the last thing she needed was to have a complete panic attack. She couldn't meet the eyes of the two princes as she frantically began to look around the room. "Where is he? Where is he?" She kept repeating. My cat what have you done with him!?" She knew she sounded crazy. In her mind she knew he was never really a cat, her cat, her companion. She was sobbing at that point, tears running ribbons down her face. Her vision was blurred darkness was suddenly creeping about. Suddenly she felt cool hands on her flamed cheeks.

"Avery. Avery! Look at me." The voice was calm, soothing with pain laced through it. Her eyes finally met cool blue ones, eyes she knew very well. Her brain was having a hard time processing anything. "Listen love, you need to calm down. It's going to be alright. I'm so sorry. I couldn't turn back. I tried, I really did." She could sense his rambling and nervousness as he tried to calm her down. He tried to brush away her tears, tried to smooth back her hair when her legs finally gave out. But she didn't fall. He scooped her up holding her tight as he kept whispering "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" into her ear.

"Maybe we should get someone to help her." Thor added amidst the ciaos.

"She has no one. You couldn't leave well enough alone could you? We were happy, she made me happy. I made her happy and you had to take that away just like everything else!" Loki snapped at his brother as he looked down at the fragile mortal in his arms, his human. "Just leave us!"

"I can't. You have to come home Loki. That was the agreement we made."

"You made! Just leave us alone, please at least until I get her to calm down." That was the last thing she remembered before darkness took over.

When she woke up next it was still rather dark outside and she found herself in her bed under the covers. She slowly opened her eyes reaching out to see if she could find her furry companion hoping that everything was just a really bad dream. The sheet beside her was cool and she felt a tear trickle down. Her worst fear was coming true. She truly was alone in this world. But then she heard a soft meow as the cat jumped up on the bed and curled up beside her. She turned to look at his blue eyes which for a cat were filled with so much emotion.

"It was all real wasn't it? She asked not wanting to really know the answer. She knew in that moment that he would have to leave her and she was truly heartbroken. "What am I going to do without you?" She whispered. She closed her eyes as tears started to fall once again. The little cat crept closer as began to once again wash the tears from her face. When she woke in the morning he was gone.

A few weeks had passed since Thor had brought his brother home and since then Loki hadn't spoken a word. He would stand for hours on end staring out a window, hand clasped behind his back barely moving. It was as if he was waiting for someone, waiting for her perhaps? He felt bad he really did but he also felt intrigued, intrigued that a Midgardian girl had captured his brother so completely. Loki had always been difficult and never had any real friends. Maybe this girl really had been his friend. A friend he had literally snatched him away from. He needed to fix this. But to do that he needed to convince the human wizard that Loki would no longer be a problem. He should be let free to explore their new home and he needed to learn how to navigate it without causing too much trouble. He felt this girl may be the key.

"All he does is stand there and stare. He doesn't eat, doesn't sleep and barely moves." Strange had moved up beside him as they took in his brother.

"I worry about him. My brother does not get attached."

"You believe he has attached himself to that girl? A human girl at that?" Thor nodded his head in confirmation.

"I do?" Strange just shook his head.

"I'm not sure I do. Not that long ago he threatened to destroy our world and now…"

"And now he has found a reason to save it." Thor turned to look at the wizard. "I understand you reluctance with him but my brother has changed and I think being around her will help him much more that being trapped here." At least give him the chance to prove it." The Doctor turned to look at the very determined god of thunder before he sighed and nodded his head reluctantly in agreement.

"Fine, but if he toes out of line even a little…"

"I will personally bring him back here." Thor finished. The Doctor shook his head and mumbled something about stubborn gods before leaving the room in his usual fashion. Thor couldn't contain the smile he now possessed and walked over to Loki eager to share the good news.

Loki on the other hand was less than eager to see his brother. He heard him come up behind him but didn't even bother to acknowledge his existence. He was angry, hurt but mostly sad and he didn't understand why. She was just a human but she had been his human, his companion, his friend and like everything else in his life it had been stolen from him.

After a few minutes of silence he couldn't take it anymore. Thor's nervous energy kept creeping up on him.

"What do you want?" He demanded in a tone that sported that he was in no mood for games. His brother however stayed silent for a moment. When he couldn't take the silence any more he turned on his brother once more. "What!" He demanded again. Thor's eyes softened slightly at his brother's conflicted feelings.

"You miss her." He stated simply which Loki snorted at and looked back out the window.

"She was a human play thing, nothing mor…"

"Stop the lies I know different. You miss her. She was your friend and I took you way from that so now we are going to fix it." Loki looked at Thor in surprise but stopped trying to hide his conflicting feelings.

"How? She only knew me as a cat. I was a pet to her." He added sadly.

"Well then this is what we are going to do…."

A month had past and Avery had moved on with her life, or at least she told herself that. Things had been going well for her. Her brother hadn't been seen and she was on the verge of buying the bookstore. All should have been well except it wasn't, not really. She tried to tell herself how silly it was to get all worked up over a cat that she had only had for a short time. A cat that hadn't really been a cat at all but an Asgardian prince who had managed to turn himself that way and then get stuck. That wasn't the worst of it; the worst had been who it was. She had seen what had happened in the city, had heard about his horrible deeds and yet she missed him, it hadn't mattered to her. In truth she barely knew him, he had been a cat after all but something told her there was something different. It had been confirmed to her not more than two weeks after he had left. She had come home from work to find a basket with two little kittens in it. A small black one with green eyes and a green satin ribbon tied around his neck and an orange tabby with a red ribbon around his neck. They kind of reminded her of the two princes. With it had been a hand written note that she had read several times since then.

Currently she stood at the front of the store which was now empty. She took the time to pull the note from her pocket to re-read it again. Something she had done on more than one occasion. She traced the lettering as she took in the words.

My Dearest Avery,

I cannot tell you how dear the time we spent together however brief meant to me. You were kind to me when others we not, you accepted me and gave me comfort. A place in your home and I dare say your heart. I truly am sorry for the heart break that I caused you. That was never my intention. I miss your secrets and your stories but mostly I miss my friend. I do regret not getting to know you as a person rather than a cat because as you once put it I feel we would have been good friends. I do hope you will accept the gift that I have left you. No one should be alone in this world. I do hope that this helps. I do hope that we will meet again this time as two people.

Your True Friend,

"Prince" Loki

Every time she re-read it she got weepy eyed and had to put it away. Her feelings on the matter were all over the place and she did truly miss him too. If only things were different. She had been so focused that she hadn't heard the bell to the store ding. It wasn't until she sensed someone standing in front of her that she finally tucked the note away. The person before her cleared their throat.

"I'm sorry miss but I'm wondering if you can help me." She looked up at the familiar accent in surprise. Loki stood before her seemingly rather nervous. His hands were clasped behind his back. She was frozen and didn't know what to do. "You see I seem to be looking for my friend. She is the kindest of souls with the biggest heart. She took in this homeless cat not that long ago and made a home for him. He just wants to say thank you." He stepped a bit closer becoming a bit more confident. "He just wants her to know that she was the best friend that he ever had and that he misses her." She had to look up at him because he was towering over her. He looked down at where she had tucked the note away. "I see you found my note." She nodded her head finally finding her voice.

"Um, yeah I did." They were both silent for a moment, he waiting for a response from her and she trying to figure out her next move. She was trying to get past the fact that the man before her had actually been her cat once. He seemed to sense her hesitation.

"I can leave if you like." His eyes betraying a hint of sadness.

"No" She said suddenly grabbing onto his arm as if afraid he would disappear again. He looked down at her with a questioning look. She finally looked up at him meeting his eyes and his softened just slightly. "No don't go, please." She begged to which he nodded in understanding. "Why were you able to finally turn from a cat back to…" She gestured at his standing figure. He seemed to balance his words carefully before he answered in the most honest way he was capable of.

"I think I needed a reason to be myself once again. It seemed to break the spell. Being a cat helped be hide away. With you I didn't need to do that any more." She smiled slightly before she spoke.

"The truth is you were the best friend I ever had too. But I think we need to get to know each other as two people first." She smiled slightly at him which he returned, relief echoing in his eyes.

"I would like nothing better." He added and before he could say more she suddenly wrapped her arms around his middle holding him tight. After a minute he wrapped his arms around her as well. A peace unlike anything he had ever felt before coming over him.

"I missed you my Prince." She whispered to him.

"And I missed you my little human" The both of them learned then and there what a friendship really entailed. They both realized that day that this was the beginning of a very special relationship and they never forgot how it all started with a lady and her cat.

**A/N I dedicate this to my dear friend ShatteredSeaglass who is going through a rough patch at the moment. I hope this brings you a bit of a smile and for you to know that no one is ever truly alone. I also dedicate this to my own little bundle of black fur that came into my life not that long ago. She be but little but she be fierce. And last but not least to all you cat owners out there you will get this. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think! **


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